


Don't Bother

by FirstFanGrrl, Mumf



Series: RP Based Fics [3]
Category: Diabolik Lovers
Genre: Coping, Cordelia is a Cunt, F/M, Karlheinz is a Sociopath, Kidnapping, Past Child Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Physical Abuse, Protectiveness, Richter is a Sonuvabitch, Sexual Content, Stockholm Syndrome, Unhealthy Relationships, Yui is a sweet cinnamon roll, awkward friendships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-23
Updated: 2016-09-24
Packaged: 2018-08-16 19:30:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8114713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FirstFanGrrl/pseuds/FirstFanGrrl, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mumf/pseuds/Mumf
Summary: Natalie Gordon just wanted to do the right thing when the little blonde girl came running in, begging for help. Now she's being held captive by a fedora wearing hipster vampire who thinks that she's hysterical and a welcome change from Yui's fearful submission, and all she wants to get out and go back home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> The story is based on an rp that a friend and I did on quotev, after I got an idea from episode four of the anime (speaking of which I found a website that has anime for free-kissanime , if anyone's interested).
> 
> I'm a little frustrated because there was a lot of stuff I had to cut out because it just didn't fit, including a pepper spray incident, but maybe I'll be able to salvage it somehow.
> 
> I don't own Diabolik Lovers, I just own Natalie.

_It's the morning after she gets her cast put on that Natalie begins researching for scholarships to different high schools around the world. She sits up for nearly 3 days in a row looking things up and background checking them for legitimacy, copying them into various folders based on country and whether or not she thought that she had a shot at any of them. She lives on coffee and coca-cola, as well as pretzels and peanuts, depending on the hour, exhausted and determined. She both mails and e-mails her applications and, for the first time since she was 8, actually prays._

_Downstairs and around her, her parents are trying to assemble their lives and are dancing around one another, treading lightly. Her Mom leaves her little peace offerings (notebooks, pens, the occasional book- meals that she nibbles but can't eat), her Dad just leaves her alone. Her sister, Liz, doesn't understand why Natalie's become even more reclusive._

_She waits for replies and moves on- she devotes herself to school, tries to pretend that she's alright. But she drops weight. She has nightmares. It doesn't take long before the guidance counselor starts making fluttering noises; she can't do anything, Natalie's grades are improving- a lot. She doesn't get into fights. Her behavior doesn't get violent, her projects in art and her work in English aren't disturbing. Natalie is untouchable._

_A month and a half later letters begin arriving in the mail._

_Naturally, her Mom opened the letters first._

_"You can't leave! You're too young!" She shouted for an hour before Natalie decided 'enough'._

_"You have no right to dictate my life anymore! I applied! I did it all by myself! If they'll have me then I'm gonna go!" Natalie's mother looked up at her daughter and realized just how bad things were- the fights were starting again. Therapy wasn't helping much._

_Between the three of them, once her Dad got home, Natalie managed to convince them- mostly because of the steadfastness in her determination and the flat look in her eyes. It was a look that they both knew- hell her stubbornness didn't just appear overnight._

_Her cast came off, and she pinned the papers containing her options to her dartboard, closed her eyes and threw a dart._

_This particular school was one of her favorites- great programs, full coverage on academics and anything related to schooling as well as securing her an apartment and the first month's rent, within a certain amount._

_Ryoutei Academy, Japan._

_Good thing her aunt taught her the basics of the language._

* * *

Despite some initial fears about it, Natalie discovers that working third shift is probably the best thing suited for her- the little coffee shop is block from her new school and a block from her small apartment. Within the month she has her schedule nailed down to a tee, and the routine as absolutely wonderful after the chaos. She works from 11 at night until 7 in the morning, walks to school, showers in the locker rooms and changes. She has school from 8 until 3:30. Natalie then walks home, crashes until about 8. She grabs something on her way out the door and goes to work. Weekends are when she sleeps the most and restocks her cabinets, gets time to herself- that sort of thing.

Wash, rinse, repeat.

It was on her third day working the shift that she realized that no one was out on the street at night. That is, nobody on foot, and drivers are fairly irregular- 1 every other hour, on average (and if there was a timer and a chart and calculations, that wasn't anyone's business but hers). In a city as large as this new one, it made her very suspicious.

But a month passed and not a single person came in.

Those 9 hours wind up being her study/homework time, after she does her side work. Thanks to the time change, she's able to call home with the break room phone. Her parents don't ever realize just how little sleep she's getting, but, hey, thank God for small favors, right?

She doesn't need to worry about working her schedule around friends because people at school avoid her; she's an unknown, and she makes them uneasy with her comfort in the language, the ease that she carries herself, how she prefers the solitude anyway. She's pretty, but exotic- taller than almost every girl and more than half of the boys, she has hips and a figure already, while most of her classmates are developing still; there aren't any American students at Ryotei, and despite it's prestige, the town is small, and fairly isolated. They don't know how to respond to her, so she just smiles and continues on her own, focusing on school and work.

The coffee shop is small, well lit, and it's homey. There's only about 10 tables for 2 or 3 people, and even in the day time it's never busy. She'd worked in a fast food place back home about 3 times it's size and 10 times as busy, so it was a welcome break.

She's settled into her routine like a warm nest, when a blonde kid half a foot shorter than her came bursting in through the door with a loud 'clang' of the bell, wild eyed with panic and out of breath.

"Please, please I need your help! I'm in trouble!" Her voice is trembling, clotted with tears (and suddenly she's looking at Liz, begging for help and that same rush of adrenaline and instinct is flowing through her and she greets it like an old friend) and Natalie is up and tugging her away from the large picture windows and the glass door, herding her towards the office. She bites back a snarl as she sees bruises on her neck.

"There's a phone in the break room- stay back there and use it to call the cops, alright?" Natalie stays calm, calm keeps you alive, and shows the kid back to the room, shutting the door behind her and striding back to the register, trying to figure out just how she was gonna do this.

* * *

Laito laughed as he watched the petite girl run, keeping pace with her quite easily, snickering at her pathetic attempt to get away. It was laughable, that she even thought that she could. At the sight of Yui entering a small coffee shop, he frowned. "Getting help, little bitch? Pathetic."

As he approached,he saw that the little bitch wasn't out front, instead catching the eye of the young woman behind the counter, who's smile was only slightly strained. There was no panic, but her color was high and her eyes were too sharp.

She was taller than Yui- almost his height, and obviously not Japanese, dark hair tied back in a low ponytail, several curly strands framing her face.

He smiled at her and entered the store, already searching out Yui.

* * *

Honestly, she'd been expecting a middle aged creeper or something. Goes to show you that anyone's dangerous, because the guy came in _wearing her school's uniform,_ and looking like he'd stepped off a freaking Milan runway. His hair was auburn, shoulder length, and he was, honestly, paler than her and wearing a fedora. She tried to look natural.

"Evening," she greeted. "Can I help you with something?" Was it her or did his expression just darken a tad?

"Oh nothing," he replied, his eyes flickering to the direction of the break room. Laito's eyes narrowed and he moved, walking towards the door calmly.

"Sir, that room's for employees only. You can't go back there," Natalie warned, stepping out from behind the counter.

Laito's smile darkened- that action alone told him all that he needed to know. She'd just given the whole thing away. "No? It's a shame, I could have sworn I'd left something of mine here..." He opened the door before she could stop him, grinning at Yui who stood there with the phone in her hands, looking for all the world like a deer caught in headlights.

"Hello, little bitch." The break room was small, and it was an easy thing to take a few steps and grab the phone from her, crushing it in his grip. "You've been very naughty, trying to run away~"

"Sir, if you don't leave I'm going to have to call the police." Natalie stated, stepping in. Her heart beat fiercely in her throat, but the absolute terror in the kid's eyes made the decision for her. He didn't even need to know that she didn't have a phone- she always had a good poker face.

"Oh? Well, that's a problem- Yui here was entrusted to my family's care, by her father, a member of the church. She's just attempted to run away, I've merely been trying to bring her home." Laito replied easily, taking Yui's wrist in one hand as she began crying. Pathetic.

Natalie ignored the hysterics of the girl (god, it really did bother her just how much she was like her father; _have some fucking dignity_ , she wanted to shout), instead trying to think fast. "You've trespassed into the breakroom, despite warnings, broken private property and I can see bruises on her- wanna tell me again how she's in your 'care'?" Natalie didn't look away from him- poison green eyes gleamed with amusement and annoyance in equal measure, but you didn't look away from a predator; that was when they went for the throat.

"Little bitch, do you know who I am?" Laito demanded, smirking. There was no way the charges would stick- not with his family name.

"Enlighten me hotshot, because as far as I'm concerned you're just a fucking creep who's been assaulting a kid." Natalie's mouth ran away with her, but she didn't care.

"The name's Laito Sakamaki, little bitch, and yourself?"

"Natalie Gordon," she replied- his name rang no bells whatsoever. "Thank you, now I know who to report."

"And what's preventing me from killing you? That would solve any inconveniences that you threaten me with." Laito's mind buzzed with possibilities- this girl, Natalie, smelled delicious, not quite so good as Yui, admittedly, but delicious no less. What to do? What to do?

"Well, even if I am dead, there's the fact that you're seen on security camera entering the shop." She pointed to the camera poised in the corner of the ceiling. There were more throughout the shop.

"Easily resolved."

"The others up and down the street have cameras too." She countered, biting her lip. She looked away for only half a second to glance at Yui.

She saw the exact moment that things were going to go downhill- his eyes, which had been half lidded seductively suddenly widened and his smile became nasty and cheerful.

Laito let go of Yui for a moment, and grabbed Natalie by the throat, easily lifting her off the ground an inch or two. Natlie fought, trying to pry his grip off, but he laughed. "I think you'll make a lovely toy to break. Don't you, little bitch?" He asked Yui, who shook her head frantically, finally finding her voice.

"Laito please don't! She was only trying to help me!" She begged, grasping his jacket.

"Then let this be a lesson not to try and run. Other people might get involved, eh Natalie?" Natalie snarled out 'fuck you!' before he slammed the back of her head against the wall, knocking her unconscious instantly.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't own DL, just Natalie.

_"Natty I'm scared!" Liz screamed, clinging to her. Cradling her sister to her, Natalie considered her options as the person on the other side of the door screamed obscenities at them._

_"YOU LITTLE FUCKING BRATS!" They beat on the door so hard it jumped on the hinges, and she knew she didn't have long before it gave out. "JUST WAIT UNTIL I GET IN THERE!"_

_Trapped in the bathroom with no way out, Natalie spied the small window. Too small for her. Big enough for Liz. "Come on, out the window- go get the neighbors!" Behind them, she heard the door begin to splinter as the person on the other side threw their body against it. "Go, Liz!"_

_"Natty!"_

* * *

Natalie started awake, moaning in pain at the throbbing in her head. Memories that she thought she'd gotten over months ago flashing in front of her eyes like some fucked up movie. Her arm twinged in remembered pain, and she notice two...holes? on her wrist with a frown.

For a minute, she couldn't remember just what had happened, and was startled at the feel of such nice sheets, and the beautiful bedroom decorated in warm earth tones. _What the hell?_ And then she remembered that girl and Laito Sakamaki- oh no, where the hell was she? Stifling down her panic ( _panic is useless- panic gets you killed_ ) she sat up slowly, biting her lip to keep quiet- though the fact that she wearing a lacy nightgown that barely reached mid-thigh made her really uncomfortable and want to shriek in fear.

She slipped out of bed carefully, wary in the unfamiliar environment and the circumstances that had brought her.

Natalie had always been deceptively quiet- barefoot, she'd often startled her parents because they'd been unable to hear her coming (her nickname had been "Grudge" from age 10 on). Stepping carefully, she crept up to the door in total silence, listening.

* * *

Laito sighed, trying to walk away from Reiji's nagging- "honestly Laito! Do you have any idea the trouble you could have caused? Is it so hard to not draw attention to yourself?!" Reiji demanded, reaching out to grab his younger brother by the arm. Laito swatted his hand away, glaring.

"So harsh, Reiji- I was just having a bit of fun~" Laito defended easily, "besides, if nothing else it won't be so hard on the sacrifice- ne? One less person constantly draining her?" He suggested with a charming smile that Reiji completely disregarded as he turned it over in his mind.

"You realize that the girl will have family looking for her? Arrangements have to be made to explain her disappearance, not to mention what should happen when she's killed. She's got a job, she goes to school- she's on a scholarship; there is documentation of her existence." Reiji could have groaned. "I have to take care of witnesses, the security cameras." So much trouble from such a spontaneous decision.

"Yes, well, you have my apologies," Laito said flippantly, making Reiji gnash his teeth. Laito paused at the sight of the shadow beneath the door. "Oh, the new pet's awake~" He giggled.

* * *

Natalie stepped away from the door just as it was flung open on her, revealing Laito and a guy in glasses ( _the one he called Reiji_ , she thought), who was looking carefully furious. She took another step back as they entered the room.

"You look so cute~" Laito cooed, running his eyes up and down her form appreciatively, grinning like the Cheshire cat. She pulled the hem down nervously, not feeling nearly so confident with her legs exposed like that.

"Where's that kid? Where am I?!" Natalie demanded, trying to still stay calm- Reiji would be no help, judging by the conversation she'd just heard. The way he looked at her wasn't quite like Laito- no hunger, but definite appraisal. Like she was a piece of furniture. And if that wasn't enough to piss a girl off.

Reiji sighed as if he was pained, "I suppose I should say welcome to our home. You will be staying as Laito's guest as you are HIS responsibility." The redhead groaned in irritation.

"How could I resist such a pretty face?"

Natalie twitched and tried to keep her voice level. "Listen, there has been some sort of misunderstanding. I have been brought wherever here is, against my will; I was abducted by this guy," she gestured at Laito. "I'm not staying here as his guest, or yours, at all. Now where are my clothes?" She crossed her arms defiantly and shifted her weight to her other foot. At this point, honestly, she just wanted to get back to her anonymous apartment, wait a week and then report the incident.

Laito snickered and took another step towards her, "isn't it adorable, Reiji? She thinks she has a say in this~"

Natalie took another step back, accordingly, "you stay the hell away from me!"

Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Clearly you're just as delusional about your situation as Yui was." He allowed himself a small smirk and adjusted his glasses. "I wish you good luck on your escape." Reiji turned on his heel, exiting the room and leaving the youngest triplet alone with the new human.

Laito inhaled deeply; the smell of her, oh- she smelled so inviting. And her taste, so sweet. He'd been unable to resist a small taste- just a nibble from her wrist; she tasted like honeysuckle, fresh from the vine. Not nearly so delicious as Yui, but certainly good by itself. "I'm beginning miss your taste, little bitch. Come here, yes?" His smile was absolutely serpentine, and Natalie panicked, ducking past him and out the open bedroom door into the darkened hallway.

He burst out laughing, his voice calling after her, "I look forward to breaking that spirit of yours, little bitch." He let her run away, not bothering to chase her, knowing she'd run into one of his brothers or a dead end, whatever came first.

* * *

Nothing makes you faster than fear for your life. Natalie sprinted down corridors and didn't look behind her, turning a corner so quickly that she slammed into someone, knocking her to the ground.

"What the hell?!" This person looked remarkably like Laito, down to his eyes and the lack of sympathy in them, to the grin that split his face (even if, Natalie had noticed, Laito seemed to be more prone to smirking than to grinning), even if his hair was a different shade of red. She knew she'd get no help from him. Before she could get up again a hand had twisted itself in her hair painfully.

"Let go goddammit!" Natalie hissed, only for her neck to be twisted awkwardly.

"Where did you come from, huh?" Ayato grinned wickedly, "you smell like my brother."

"Weren't you taught not to take someone else's toys, Ayato?" Laito asked, watching Natalie get friendly with Ayato. His brother snickered.

"At least this one isn't like pancake, got some curves on her." Laito's smile dropped and his eyes narrowed into a glare.

"She's mine, Ayato- I found her, and I brought her here."

"I don't belong to anyone! Now let me go!" Ayato jerked her again, intent on pulling her to her feet- Natalie used the momentum and twisted around, ignoring the pain, to kick Ayato in the knee as hard as she could. Ayato's face darkened with rage.

"This one's got some spirit, eh?" He shook her like a dog, before throwing her to the ground like a broken toy.

Rather than take offense at that, she muttered "go fuck yourself," and Natalie was up and gone like a shot, ignoring the way her lungs were screaming at her.

Ayato laughed, and Laito didn't bother chasing her- what was the point? She'd just begun. They could chase her, but to what end? She was trapped here forever. Better to let her wear herself out, or back herself into a corner.

* * *

_How big is this fucking house?!_ Natalie wondered, not daring to look over her shoulder ( _Only slows you down- don't look back_ ) as she hurried. No matter how many hallways she seemed to run, there wasn't anything to give her a clue on how to get out. _Come on, come on- there's got to be stairs or something around here somewhere_ , she thought desperately, nearly crowing in victory when she found the large, grandiose stairway. Bounding down them 2 at a time, Natalie immediately began on the huge doors.

They wouldn't budge.

_No! COME ON!_ No matter how hard she pulled, they didn't move. They weren't even locked. Panic seized her, and she looked for something to break out a window ( _tuck and roll_ ), her eyes wild and feral.

Laito watched her from the shadows, before appearing behind her.

"It's no use little bitch, you won't be leaving." She spun around and he caught her by the throat again, exposing his fangs. "Not without permission." And that wasn't gonna happen in any lifetime.

"Let me out of here!" She snarled, her panic taking over.

"I don't think so," Laito replied, his smile smooth and calm. "It's so hard to share one meal between six people, you know. It's hard on the people, but most of all it's hard on the meal. Dear Yui's so frail already..."

"What did you do to her? Where is she?!" Natalie demanded, like he'd planned. How predictable.

"She's being taught a lesson about running away by a few of my brothers," he answered easily.

That answer made her stomach turn sickeningly, and she shuddered. "Please, please don't hurt her." Natalie found herself begging desperately.

"Trust me, little bitch, the biggest worry you should have is how much blood she'll lose." His eyes were glowoing with amusement, his fangs catching what little light there was. And suddenly things were clicking in Natalie's mind- his speed, his strength...

Natalie had always been superstitious- she fed the fairies and placed beads in her pockets in an effort to ward away witches, she poured milk into the earth on the major changes of the moon as a gift to the spirits; on the autumn equinox she drank for and with Mab the Fae Queen, on Halloween she offered her respect to the deceased and feasted in their honor, and had many other idiosyncrasies besides. For these reasons, the idea that the young man standing before her was a vampire was a larger possibility than it might have been for other people.

He laughed at the awed realization in her eyes, at how pale she became; her heartbeat was irregular, probably painful, and reeked of fear. It was addictive. "You're certainly quicker on the uptake than Yui, but that's what makes my new toy so much fun~" His grip on her throat, which had been more threatening than dangerous, released, stead he began stroking her arm.

"I'm not a fucking toy! Let go of me!" He gripped her arm like a vice at that.

"Oh, but you are~! So cute, will you scream for me like that again?" He leaned closer breathing in her scent; warm grass in the summer sunlight. So plain and homely.

"You're insane," she whimpered quietly.

And from there, in the face of the unknown, with everything against her, the gears in her instinct shifted- from fight into supplication.

"Please," she realized she was whispering. "Please let me go."

"No can do. I'm feeling quite hungry, and with such a tasty meal laid out before me, I just can't help myself."

And then the ground seemed to just, fall away, along with her stomach, before they were in a darkened room. Natalie struggled to get her breath back without throwing up, because she's just been _teleported_ and it was terrible, bringing her to her knees and making him laugh out loud, and damn she wanted to kill him.

"Going to be alright?" He drawled, stepping close to her. Natalie slowly stood, measuring her breathing.

"Stay away from me," she whispered, pressing a hand to her temple and trying to back away. "Just stay back-" She lost her footing, but then his arms were around her.

"Don't worry, I promise I'll make it good for you, little bitch." Without thinking about it, a childhood of male cousins came back to her, and spat in his face.

Laito's smile dropped and his eyes darkened, "oh, is that how you want it?" He snarled before leaning in and and sinking his fangs in just above her collarbone, viciously- one of the more painful areas to be bitten. She just had to make things difficult.

Natalie breath caught with a shuddering sound in her throat. Her hands came up and tightened at his shoulders. _Don't scream._ She realized. That was what he wanted earlier. She couldn't win- but she could keep the victory from being so sweet. She bit down on her lip with as much force as she could, trying to focus on anything but the bite, on the pain.

The taste was rich, and Laito moaned, his hands moving to settle on her hips. He drank and drank, pulling more blood from her until her vision was dancing before her eyes, and only then did he release his hold on her, allowing her to crumple in on herself on the ground, clutching at the injury. This was his favorite part, watching them break before his eyes. "You taste wonderful," he informed, licking his lips of any remaining taste.

Her tongue was numb with how hard she'd bitten it. And she knew she wouldn't be able to stay conscious. All she remembered was making herself smile.

"I didn't scream." And then she passed out.

Laito sighed- well, she was right. He would have applauded her, had it not been so disappointing.

Instead he stooped down to pick her up bridal style, laying her on his bed. He noted how pale her face was, how dark her eyelashes and eyebrows were against that pale skin. "So cute~" He noted, pulling her into his arms and falling asleep, listening to her heartbeats, still steady as a drum.


	3. Chapter 3

The first thing that she can register is that she's cold, sore and disoriented. Natalie shivers in response to the first, winces because of the second, and gradually the third problem disappears on it's own as she begins to remember what had happened. Gradually she became more and more aware of what sort of position she was in. Physically, at this moment that is, she was in bed with a hipster vampire, which explained the coldness and the aches and pains- she was _in bed_ with the hipster vampire who had tormented that poor kid and drank her blood last night...and all of this was happening because she was the fucking captive of said hipster vampire.

God, could things get any worse?

Another violent shiver wracked her body, fuck it was like sleeping next to a block of ice. Carefully, she tried to move out of his grip and away from him, aware

Laito had his face directly in the nape of her neck, inhaling the sweet smell of lavender and rain. She was incredibly warm, and her scent relaxed him. He could feel her wriggling in his arms and it eventually caused him to stir, tightening his grip (not that she'd made any progress) and pulling her closer to him so that they were pressed directly together, making her stiffen. His laugh in her ear was taunting and tired. "Good morning, little bitch."

She wriggled uncomfortably, "let go." She mumbled, her throat tight and strained. She felt humiliated, afraid, and at the same time strangely numb despite all of it.

He chuckled mockingly, opening his eyes; from this position he could just see the soft, rounded curve of her cheek. Admittedly, until last night, he hadn't paid much attention as to what she'd looked like, beyond the cursory 'tall, curvy, dark hair'. After he'd rendered her unconscious, he'd taken the time to look at her. Honestly, he could have done worse, so far as toys went; her face was a little round, true, but it was balanced out by her soft features, the rounded, button nose, and large eyes. Certainly she wasn't terrible to look at, especially when her face was twisted in fear like it had been the night before, he reflected.

"Give me one good reason. There's so many fun things that we can do in this position." He purred, kissing her ear. One long fingered hand drifted to her hip, rubbing 'comforting' circles there.

Natalie jerked in shock- both from the touch and the kiss- "fucking let go of me!" she barked, unable to help herself. His grip tightened, sharply and painfully on her hip, making her gasp in pain.

"Now that's not very nice." His tone was cool but he was smirking; the contrast threw her off sharply. Of course, that could also be blamed on her frazzled mental state.

"Please let go of me." She tried, grinding her teeth- the words were spat out and felt dirty, if that made any sense at all.

Laito's sneer was broader, and even more sinister at that. "Better," he admitted, "but not quite there. Can't you try any harder, _Natalie?_ " Her name on his tongue made her feel like she was going to vomit. He said it like it was something filthy, derogatory, offensive. It was quite a shame, because Natalie actually liked her name (why wouldn't she? It came from the Latin form of Christmas).

She took a deep, calming breath, trying to center herself. "Please let me up, Laito." She tried again, this time actually sounding like she meant the pleasant tone.

"Good girl. But you never answered me- why would you want to get up?" He teased, not letting go of her. Of course, if she wanted something she'd have to play his little games and let him win- or else face severe punishment.

"Because," she took a deep breath, grinding her teeth, "I'm cold- I'm assuming the vampire thing means little to no circulation, because you're like a block of ice and I naturally run cold anyway," Natalie explained, sounding halfway plausible, remarkably enough. Not like it was a _total_ lie- in her apartment and back home, her bed never had any less than 2 comforters in the middle of summer, never mind the dead of winter. Mostly, though, she just wanted his hands off of her.

"Oh? Well, little bitch, if I let you up what do you plan on doing?" He was honestly curious about this- in a lackadaisical sort of way. He didn't find her that interesting, but he wanted to know if only in theory.

The question threw Natalie for a loop in all honesty, at least for a moment. "Well I could put on my clothes from before." She pointed out. The little cafe had been great in regards to her because, other than having to wear an apron and a name tag, so long as it wasn't inappropriate (too revealing, drug paraphernalia, violent or sexual imagery), Natalie had been allowed to wear what she wanted. Anything, she reflected, would be better than this skimpy piece of lace.

I mean, come on- she liked looking pretty and wearing nice things as much as any girl, but not in front of this freak.

But where was the fun in that? Besides, in Laito's opinion, she looked much better in the nightie than in her jeans.

"No." He stated, she managed to wriggle enough to turn in his grip to look at him- which was very awkward and intimidating, at least on her end.

Not to be poetic, but she had to admit, rather inappropriately, that Laito had remarkably pretty eyes. Okay, pretty might not have conveyed enough- gorgeous, more like. 'Feline' was the word you thought of when you looked at them, and not just because of the shape, oh no it was just the _way_ that he looked at you- like you were beneath him, and you didn't need to tell him that he was better than you because he already fucking knew that. No, when Laito looked at you, it was derision and boredom- entertain him, is what his eyes conveyed.

Not pleasant.

But still beautiful.

Still, the time for poetry was gone, she was stuck in the arms of an unstable fucking vampire (seriously, how the fuck did this happen? How did this become her fucking life?), and she needed to kick her brain into gear, and like a fucking gunshot it occurred to her.

"Has it occurred to you people that my family is going to look for me?" She asked finally, deciding that maybe distraction could help her out in this instance.

"The police won't find anything." Laito brushed off, again. She didn't understand the full reach of the family; but she'd learn soon enough.

Natalie raised an eyebrow, just as calm as him. "Did I say police? I said my family. If my parents don't hear from me they'll come looking." She pointed out, and with some truth. Somehow, in a remarkable way, all that had happened in the last year, give or take, had brought her family together in a way that she never would have thought of- except for her, anyway.

Because her parents are just those people. They'd gone through hell, and all it had done was make them stronger and more protective. And if they suspected, for a moment, that anything was wrong with her, they'd update their passports and show up wherever this hellhole happened to be before you could say 'jack robinson'.

"And they'll disappear too." But she saw the doubt there...

"Not as quietly as me- they have credit ratings and jobs and insurance overseas. In the very least it will take longer to get rid of them," was there something wrong with her, that she could talk about the death of her family with such ease?

"And your point?" He really couldn't help it, he was interested in this. No one had really had the guts to try and reason so logically, or truthfully.

"Let me contact them. Monitor it. I'll tell them that I can't call as frequently as before- I was calling every night- now maybe once a week, less if you feel generous. I could tell them I joined a club or something." They'd be thrilled. She'd never been sociable. Liz was a different story though.

Laito turned it over. "How do I know there isn't some sort of code word or phrase?" He asked, finally, scoffing at the thought.

"The code phrase for 'I'm in trouble', in my family, is- 'did you remember the cat's vet appointment?'" She replied, immediately without hesitation. She couldn't help but smirk at the flash of surprise on his face. "The one for 'come pick me up' is 'I left the pool filter running' or 'make sure the TV is unplugged'." Seriously, what family didn't have a code phrase?

She felt his grip loosen, and immediately seized the chance to get out of his arms, practically rolling off the bed and away from him.

"You're going to need to talk with Reiji about that," Laito finally sighed, bored with the conversation, although, privately, she thought she heard something that sounded dangerously like a sulk in his voice.

"Fine. Where are my clothes?" She demanded, pulling the skirt a little lower.

"I'd expect in the wash. Honestly I don't know." He admitted, waving a hand dismissively. "You're welcome to go looking for them."

"Okay, fine. Maybe I'll see what's-his-name and I can keep my parents from freaking the fuck out." She wasted no time seeing herself out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

She isn't stupid. He's not letting her walk away to look for her things out of the goodness of his heart (speaking of which, does he have either of those? There wasn't a heartbeat...); Laito was just giving her enough rope and waiting for her to go hang herself with it for his entertainment. A grim question is whether or not he'll cut her down once it happens or let her suffer.

What Natalie needed, she realized, was to calm down and think about what she knew about this situation:

For one thing, she began to list mentally, Laito wasn't alone; there was the jeering redhead, and the other one, Reiji, that she was haphazardly looking for. There might be more, but she couldn't be sure; although with a house this size it wouldn't surprise her, and then there was Yui. Oh God, Yui. The thought of the girl made her chest hurt from the guilt- she'd been so desperate for help and had reached out to her, and Natalie hadn't been able to do anything- she might have even made the situation worse, if possible. No, dammit Nat, stop! Guilt wasn't getting her anywhere. Shaking off that line of thought, she turned back to her analysis. Besides the residents, there was the house- fine, the mansion- itself. Natalie thought about her desperate and futile escape attempt and remembered the winding corridors without end, without exit. Looking around now, she saw doors and stairways. Where had they been before? Having been in a life or death situation before, she knew how her mind worked when cranked up on adrenaline, she knew that she would never miss something like that. When she was in a panic, she took in too many details, not blocked them out.

So how in the hell had all this just showed up?

Could...could the house be connected to the desires of it's residents? It shouldn't even be possible, but then again, apparently she was the live in pet of a vampire, with even more waiting in the wings, so that shot what she knew of reality out the window.

Speaking of windows…

Curious, just to see if she knew the area, Natalie glanced outside, only to have her heart stop in her chest.

The lawn and gardens melted seamlessly into the sprawling woods. Mountains cut off her view of further, large mountains- the mountains that bordered North of town, maybe? But, that aside, the situation just got worse, if possible.

Natalie was not a very physical person- she could fight and she could get active, to be sure, that wasn't her natural inclination. She wasn't much of a camper, and she knew that if she was going to run, she'd have to stay off the road- mountains were dangerous, even if you knew what you were doing. You could get lost or stumble onto wild animals- but these monsters lived in the area. If she had to guess, they would know it better than she did. So, stay on the roads and be found easily, or maybe stay off of them and still be found by pissed off bloodsuckers, or be killed by hungry animals.

What a choice.

"What a look she has, Teddy." a soft voice observed, directly behind her. "That's the look of a human when they lose hope." It wasn't loud in tone, or even presence, but it was just enough to make her whirl around in shock, a shout of surprise getting caught in her throat- what came out was instead a high pitched noise of shock, a cross between a scream and a strangled grunt.

The boy- what the hell was going on with teenagers looking like children around here, seriously?!- behind her burst out laughing at the noise, his face lighting up with perverse joy. It was a laugh...like a kid; a brittle cackle that made his marble face look alive as he doubled over and clutched at...a teddy bear?

Okay, shit was getting that much more ridiculous.

He was even dressed like a kid- shorts, long knee socks, loafers. His hair reaches his chin, and even that is sort of childish- like he lopped it off in uneven hunks with the kitchen scissors. But in retrospect, it wasn't necessarily what he wore, so much as how he wore it, the way he held himself. Something about this guy just screamed 'child' and 'fragile' even as the skin on the back of her neck crawled at the sight of him. He made her nervous, like a fucking pressure cooker.

"Uh, hi?" She offered lamely, watching him try and gather himself, wheezing. "So...I'm gonna go ahead and assume that you're a vampire too?" She guessed, setting a hand on her hip.

He gave her a flat look that made her want to take a step back, though. "Are you suggesting that I'm a mortal?"

"No, asking." She corrected, before she could stop herself.

The change in his eyes, harmless amusement to animal like rage, is fast as lighting, and it's really weird what happens next. Because one moment he's still giggling, the the next she's cowering against the window as he slams his fist into the wall right beside her head, with enough force to rattle the glass.

"YOU DO NOT TALK TO ME THAT WAY! YOU ARE WORTHLESS! A BLOOD BAG TO BE THROWN AWAY!" She flinches, cowering despite herself. She can't help it, but she still feels really fucking stupid considering the kid is, like 6 inches shorter than her.

"Okay," she promised, shouting over his roars, but it still sounds somewhat meek.

The kid calmed down almost immediately at that, maybe seeing that she had been effectively cowed. He blinked and began to laugh at the expression on her face again.

Kanato loved the look of fear and cautious cleverness that she seemed to have. Like she had a chance to survive. She was certainly smarter than Yui, he'd give her that; Yui's placation was desperate and filled with fear, when she bothered to do it- he'd noticed, like the rest of his brothers, that Yui often stood her ground and tried to make them see reason, while Natalie's was careful distance, judging by the way she was currently attempting to edge away from him.

He was really getting a kick out of see the way her eyes darted about nervously, like she could run. Hadn't she learned yet?

"Humans are so foolish, Teddy," he said softly, tucking his face into the bear's fuzzy fur, so that the top half of his face was visible.

Wonderful, a vampire that had a shotacon tendency and talked to teddy bears.

In the very least, Natalie tried to salvage, just a bit, that at least she was finding another resident in the house.

Total count;

Vampires: 5

Humans: 2

Fuck

She didn't smile at him, too creeped out by the flat glassiness of his eyes. Like a goddamn doll. Instead she took a deep breath, trying to calm her pounding heart, and steel her will a little bit.

That was another thing she noticed- all of these guys set off warning bells and nervous reflexes...but then again this was a really weird situation where she really was in danger...so she was gonna have to ignore that thought.

"I don't suppose you know where I can find Reiji, do you?" She tried, giving herself a little pat on the back for the lack of trembling in her voice. Not bad. You could almost say that she didn't give a damn. Almost. But hey, she'd get there.

Kanato raised an eyebrow and contemplated pointing her in the right direction. Or steering her wrong. Ayato was looking forward to punishing her for her insolence earlier, but Reiji was also annoyed because of the trouble she was causing by her mere presence. And then there was the fact that Natalie had insulted him by implying that he was any less than a pureblooded vampire. How dare she...

"Down the hall. Go down the stairs and take a right," he said softly, "you'll find him in his lab." And then turned on his heel to walk away from her, smiling insidiously.

Natalie said nothing under her breath, despite the fact that she wanted to. This wasn't some crappy teen book, she didn't know the full extent of what the hell they could do (mental list; sucking blood, ridiculous- she refused to say super- strength and teleportation, as evidenced by Laito transporting them to his room the other night. She'd almost count the amount of money they obviously had as some kind of ability, come to think of it). The last thing that she wanted was to get killed because of some underhanded comment that she mumbled under her breath.

Okay, that was going to be a problem- Natalie had a big mouth. She made sarcastic commentary without even thinking about it. She also had the annoying tendency of telling the truth- 'she doesn't bullshit' was how her father had defended her when her 8th grade teacher accused her of instigating arguments.

Natalie made her way down the stairs, carefully keeping an eye out for any more weirdos. She'd be damned if they kept getting the drop on her like that.


End file.
